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Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star sin this political satire that hits a little too close to home, about to men in a heated battle for a seat in Congress. Opens Aug. 10. (Published Tuesday, May 8, 2012)

A feature-length showdown between Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis seems long overdue, but the drought ends this summer with "The Campaign," a political satire about the fight over one of North Carlina's seats in Congress. The first trailer--in the form of two campaign ads--has arrived, and it's kinda flat.

Ferrell stars as the incumbent, Cam Brady, sort of a cross between John Edwards and Ferrell's classic George Busch impersonation, while Galifianakis is Marty Huggins, an upstart challenger from the tourism board. Here's the official synopsis:

When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Will Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district. Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Zach Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center. At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about. As Election Day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy from “Meet the Parents” director Jay Roach that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level. Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom, there’s room to dig a whole lot deeper.

When you consider the epic levels of jackassery that politicians from both sides of the aisle have subjected the American public to, there should be no shortage of material. But watching the "campaign" ads, we were largely unmoved--many of the funnier jokes felt awfully familiar.

The film was directed by Jay Roach, who's previous forays into politics have included the HBO films "Game Change," about the McCain-Palin campaign, and "Recount," a look back at Bush v. Gore. The script is from "Eastbound and Down" alum Shawn Harwell and Chris Henchy, who wrote two other Ferrell vehicles, "The Other Guys" and "Land of the Lost."